Big Muddy Speaker Series

Presentation by Wedge Watkins, Refuge Biologist at Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

4:30 p.m. Free Paddle trip with Big Muddy Adventures! (details below)
6. p.m. Meet at Big A’s Restaurant
6:30 p.m. Presentation
At Big A’s Restaurant
308 N Main St. –  St Charles, MO
(directions below)

Presentation is FREE and open to the public!

The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is comprised of 11 separate units totaling approximately 17,500 acres located along the Missouri River floodplain between Kansas City and the St. Louis area. The Refuge, begun in the aftermath of the flood of 1993, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Using a passive management model, these “pearls on a string” include chutes, islands, wet prairies, bottomland forests, scour holes and lakes and areas that are allowed to flood in high water.

The St. Louis metro area has two units of the refuge, Boone’s Crossing and Cora Island, yet few people in the public realize this amazing resource is at their back door. Refuge Biologist Wedge Watkins will share some of latest developments on the refuge, some exciting habitat projects coming up and new refuge acquisitions.

Here’s some of what you can expect to hear about:

• New refuge units – Berger Bend Unit near Hermann, a 474 acre shallow backwater complex and a floodplain scour hole lake, is added. New acreage is added to Baltimore Bend Unit.
• Upcoming habitat projects – Work should begin this winter on a restoring a complex of chutes and islands at Cora Island Unit of the refuge, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Other upcoming habitat projects at Baltimore Bend and Cranberry Bend Units.
• Completed – Jameson Island Chute extension completed near Arrow Rock.

Free Paddle Trip with Big Muddy Adventures!

Join expert Missouri River guide Mike Clark of Big Muddy Adventures before the presentation for a up and downstream paddle through downtown St. Charles on the Junebug canoe. Space is limited – PLEASE REGISTER on the Greenway Network website.

Here’s the link to register – fill out your name and the month you want to join the paddle trip: http://www.greenwaynetwork.org/get-involved/big-muddy-paddler-registration.php .

This opportunity brought to you by the generosity of Greenway Network and Big Muddy Adventures.

Meet by the river behind Big A’s at 4:30. You’ll be back by 6 p.m.

Directions

To Big A’s on the Riverfront, our host for the Speaker Series.

To get there from I-70

• Take I-70 to exit 229B – the 5th St. Exit
• Merge onto 5th St. headed north toward St. Charles.
• After about 1 mile, turn right on Monroe St.
• Turn left onto N. Main St.
• Big A’s will be on your right (308 N. Main St.) Additional parking is available in the rear.
• View on Google Maps.